In a growing scam reaching people across the big country, phone fraudsters are using the threat of arrest to pressure people into paying hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of dollars, to avoid going to jail.

In the past week, the Nolan County Sheriff’s Office received and investigated numerous phone calls from citizens claiming that they were contacted by a member of this office, told that they have an outstanding warrant and that deputies are on the way to arrest them if they refuse to pay the fines. The caller then explains that the “fine” can be paid with a credit or debit card. In some cases, the caller may instruct the victim to buy a certain debit card or send the money via Western Union. What makes this scam seem convincing is that some of the victims reported the telephone number of the Nolan County Sheriff’s Office (325) 235-5471 was displayed on their caller ID; others reported a local cellular phone number was displayed.

The Scam Structure

There are three parts to the “signature” of this attack:

1. The victim receives a telephone call with a spoofed caller ID to make it appear to be from a law enforcement agency geographically proximal to the potential victim’s location, in this case the Nolan County Sheriff’s Office or 911, the emergency contact number used in the United States.
2. The victim will be told that they have committed a crime, which may include running a red light and being caught by a traffic camera, failing to appear for Jury Duty, failing to pay your taxes or failing to pay them on time, or, if an international person, having a problem with immigration paperwork.
3. The victim will be instructed to send a payment immediately, with amounts ranging from $500 to $2,500, and threatened with immediate arrest if they fail to comply.

In the event that you have outstanding warrants, Law enforcement agencies do not make courtesy phone calls. A deputy will arrive unannounced to execute an arrest warrant, or you will receive a certified letter informing you of any legal action that’s being taken against you. If you owe a fine, you will not get a fifteen (15) minute notice to pay it over the phone.

The public needs to be aware that the Nolan County Court does not require anyone to provide sensitive information in a telephone call, nor to purchase any kind of monetary device to avoid arrest. Persons receiving such a telephone call should never give out credit or debit card information, bank account information or birth dates and social security card numbers over the phone (or email), and instead should hang up and contact their local law enforcement agency.